Pumping unit



Aug. 14, 1923.

J. W. VVICKVVIRE ET AL PUMPING UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec.

Aug. 14, 1923. www2 J. W. WICKWIRE ET AL PUMPING UNIT Filed Dec. ll, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ug. 14, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATE-NT FFW,

JAMES W. WICKWIRE, OF WOLLASTON, AND CHARLES E. BURNS, OF MALDEN, MASSA-- CHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO EDSON. MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON',4 MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

PUMPING UNIT.

i Application led December 11, 1920. Serial No. 429,837.

To altwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES IN. WicKwiRn and CHARLES E. BURNS, citizens. of the United States, residing at Wollaston, in the county of Norfolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Malden, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, respective-ly, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pumping Units; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others 'skilled in the art to which it appeitains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to pumping units, and more particularly7 to units of this character embodying an internal combustion motor and a diaphragm or similar form of pump operated thereby.

In one type of pumping unit at present in general use an internal combustion motor is supported upon the pump casing and is connected to a flexible pump diaphragm through reducing gearing in such a manner that the rotation of the motor crank shaft causes a slower reciprocating movement of the diaphragm.

A more or less frequent replacement of the diaphragms is necessary in units of this character and to facilitate this replacement so far as possible it is desirable that the unit as a whole be arranged to facilitate the removal of the worn or broken diaphragm and the proper insertion of a new diaphragm. In replacing these diaphragms it .is of the greatest importance that the diaphragm be accurately centered with relation to the upper and lower halves of the pump casing and the actuating mechanism, as otherwise the resultant buckling of the diaphragm results in failure of the diaphragm after a relatively short period of use. Furthermore, if the diaphragm is not firmly and evenly Aclamped in the casing throughout its entire periphery the leakage of air about the edge o the diaphragm tends to destroy the suction effect either 1n who-le or in part and seriously impairs the etliciency of the pump.

The object of the present invention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in pumpin units of this general type which facilitate t e replacement of the diaphragms and insure that the new diaphragm shall be properly located with respect to the pump casing and operating instrumentalities.

With this object in view one feature of the present invention contemplates the provision of a two-part pump casing with connecting means .adapted to clamp the two halves of the casing together with a diaphragm therebetween, and a flexible diaphragm of rubber or similar material having a projecting rib formed upon one face, and so located with respect to the edge of the diaphragm that the rib engages with one part of the pump casing when the diaphragm is mounted thereon, and serves to position the diaphragm with respect to the casing and to form a tight seal about the peripheral edge of the diaphragm when the two parts of the casing are clamped together.

Still further features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantage of which will be obvious to those skilled 4 in the art from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention Fig. 1 represents an elevation partly in section of a pumping unit, comprising an internal combustion motor and diaphraofm pump; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation oin a portion of the pumping unit and illustrating the diaphragm disconnected from the actuating mechanism with the motor and upper half of the pump casing turned back in position for the removal of the diaphragm; Fig. 3 is a section in elevation of a new form of diaphragm removed from the pump; Fig. 4 is a detail illustrating a section of the edge of the pump casing, the diaphragm cooperating therewith; Fig. 5 is a detail illustrating a modified form of pump base with the hinge supporting the motor and upper half of the pump casing and Fig. 6 is a detail illustrating the separate hinge employed in conjunction with the construction shown in Fig. 5.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention shows a pumping unit of well-known form comprising generally an internal oombustion motor with appropriate reducing gearinglmounted upon the upper portion of a. diap ragm pump. As indicated in the drawings the motor comprises an air cooled cylinder 10 mounted upon a crank case 12, containing a crank shaft 14 and a pump shaft 16, connected with the crank shaft through reduction gearin indicated at 17 and 18. The pump sha t 16 is provided with two crank arms 20 (only one of which is shown) connected with a pump crosshead 22 through connecting rods 24. This construction imparts an up and down reciprocatory movement to the cross-head at a reduced speed. The motor and reduction gearing as a whole is supported upon a pump casing 26 through the medium .of legs 27 and 28 which are connected with lugs 30 formed upon the casing, as indicated clearly in Fig. 1. The pump casing is made in two parts comprising a lower or b'ase portion 32 and an upper portion 34 with a flexible diaphragm 36 engaged therebetween. The two portions of the casing are clamped together and to the diaphragm through the medium of lugs 38 and 40 formed upon the parts of the casin and connected by any suitable form of tie bolts 42. The flexible diaphragm 36 is clamped at the central portion between a lower spider 44 and an upper spider 46 having hollow standards 48 and 50 formed thereon. Passing through the upper and lower spiders and openings in the opposite ends of the cross-head 22 are tie-bolts 52 and 54 threaded upon their upper ends for en agement by cap nuts 56 and 58. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that when the several parts are assembled and the cap nuts tightened the diaphragm will be firmly clamped between the spiders and the latter connected rigidly with the cross-head 22. With this form of pump any upward movement of the diaphragm draws water or other liquid into the chamber 60 and the succeeding downward movement opens a flap' valve 62 resting upon the inner up-turned edge 64 of the diaphragm to cause the water in chamber 60 to be de livered above the diaphragm and thence discharged either through t-he open outlet 66 or a closed outlet as desired.

It will be obvious that the only element of the above described pump requiring replacement is the fiexible diaphragm and that the life of this diaphragm will depend in major part upon the accuracy with which it is initially located in position'. It has heretofore been practically impossible to properly center these diaphragms, especially in power operated units where the motor was supported upon the upper portion of the removable pump casing. According to the present invention the worm diaphragm is made readily accessible and the proper insertion of a new diaphragm in its place is facilitated and simplified. Upon referring to the drawings it will be observed that the upper portion 34 of the pump casing is hinged at one side to the lower portion in such a manner that upon detaching the tie-bolts 42 the upper portion of the casing, together with the motor, may be turned back into the position shown in Fig. 2 with the flywheel of the motor resting upon the supporting surface. In this position the broken diaphragm may be easily removed and a new diaphragm inserted. After the insertion of the new diaphragm the upper portion of the pump casing is swung back into position wheie the crosshead and diaphragm may be reconnected. As shown in Fig. l of the drawings both the lower and upper portions of the pump casing are provided with hinge members 7() and 72 which receive a hinge pintle 74. In order to permit a relative vertical movement between the two portions of the casing, when superimposed upon one another, the openings 76 in one of the hinge members are slightly elongated as shown in Fig. 1 to permit such a movement. lfVith' this construction a uniform clamping effect may be obtained throughout the entire periphery of the diaphragm without interference due to the hinge. In order to insure an accurate centering of the new diaphragm with respect to the pump casing and to the actuating instrumentalities the diaphragm is provided with aconcentric rib or boss 80 projecting from one face which is adapted to engage with a corresponding groove 82 formed in the meeting edge of the pump casing. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention this rib upon the diaphragm serves the dual function of positioning and centering the diaphragm with respect to the pump casing and of forming a tight seal between the edge of the diaphragm and the cooperating parts of the pump casing. In order to augment the sealing function of the rib it will be observed, as shown in Fig. 4, that the rib is slightly larger than the corresponding groove in which it is received, so that the pressure thereon due to clamping together the two parts of the pump casing serves to flatten out the rib and form a tight joint about the entire edge of the diaphragm, filling in any inequalities which may be present either in the diaphragm or the two cooperating parts of the casing. As will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 4, the rib 80 forms substantially the sole engagement between the diaphragm and the cooperating face of the lower casing portion, serving to slightly space the body of the diaphragm away from the cooperating face of the casing portion when the diaphragm is clamped in place. This feature is important as it insures a better seal between the diaphragm and lower casing por` tion, the two members combined serving to close the suction chamber and at the same time by relieving the body of the diaphragm from clamping engagement with the edge of the casing portion increases the effective life of the diaphragm and minimizes the liability of failure along the edge, this being ordinarily the point at which the usual diaphragms fail first. In order to furtherl insure the centering of the diaphragm with respect to the casing it will be noted from an inspection of the drawings that the lower part 32 of the casing is provided with an up-standing iange 84 which engages with the outer edge of the diaphragm and serves as an additional centering means for the latter with respect to the casing.

The provision of the hinged connection between the upper and lower parts of the casing, together with the means for centering the diaphragm with respect to the two parts of the pump casing, insures against any subsequent buckling of the diaphragm due to its improper location within the casing. The necessity for suc-h an arrangement will be apparent upon referring to Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings which illustrate the diaphragm and the pump as a whole with the diaphragm embodied therein. These diaphragms as supplied, are provided withopenings 90 to receive the tiebolts 52 and 54 and if the diaphragm is not centered accurately within the casing the central portion due to engagement with the tie-bolts and actuating mechanism is forced laterally to one side or the other, causing a resultantl buckling of the intermediate portion of the diaphragm.

In replacing diaphragms with the present construction the followin procedure has been preferably adopted. he cap nuts 56 and 58 are first removed to permit disconnection of the cross-head 22 from the diaphragm. Thereafter, with the diaphragm in the position shown in Fig. 1, the flywheel is turned until the cross-head .22 is raised to the upper limit of travel to substantially clear the ends of the tie bolts 52 and 54. In this position, and with the connecting bolts 42 removed, the upper portion of the pump casing, together with the motor, may be swung back about the hinged connection until the fiywheel rests upon the base. Thereafter the worn diaphragm may be removed bodily with the upper and lower spider and replaced by a new diaphragm. This new diaphragm may be accurately centered with respect to the lower portion of the pump casing by engagement of the rib with the corresponding groove formed upon the pump casing. In positioning the new diaphragm the standards 48 and 50 formed upon the upper spider are alined with the hinged connection so that when the upper portion of the pump casing is swung back to operative position the openings in the cross-head 22 will register with the tie-bolts 52`and 54. Thereafter the upper portion of the pump casing is moved back into the osition shown in head over the upper ends of the tie bolts which register accurately with `the open-Av ings therein. With the parts in assembled relation the tie bolts 42 are manipulated vto clamp the upper and lower halves of the casing together, the hinged .connection permitting any slight vertical movement which may be necessary on account of inequalities in the two parts of the casing.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 a separate hinge 92 is adapted to tit against the base portion of the casin and be bolted directly to the deck or ot er support for this base ortion.' This form of construction is adapte for use in connection with bilge pumps which are bolted directly to the deck of a vessel where it is not feasible or desirable to substitute a new formof base. It will be observed that in the form of construction shown in Fi s. 5 and 6 the intake 94 leads upwardly into t e bottom of the pump casing, whereas in the trench pump Figs. 1 and 2, the intake 96 leads side of the casing. l

It should understood by those skilled in the art that although the present invention has been described more particularly in connection with a pumping unit embodying an internal combustion motor, certain fea' tures of the invention .are equally useful when employed in connection with pumping units of this type which lack the power operated mechanism. It should be furthermore understood that the rib or projection formed upon the face of the iexible diaphragm serves an important function in connection with the sealing and positioning of the diaphragm whether or not it is employed with a pump casing having a cooperating groove for its reception.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arran ement of parts shown and described it wil be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential except so far as specified in the claims and may be changed or modied without departing from the broader features of the invention.

The invention having been described what is claimed is:

1. A liquid pumping unit comprising upper and lower casing portions. a flexible circular diaphragm having a concentric rib of substantial thickness projecting from the underside and adapted to space the body of the diaphragm away from the face of the casing portion and form substantially the sole engagement between the diaphragm and cooperating face of the lower casing portion. and means for clamping the two casing portions together to compress the rib into the so-called, shown in ig. 1 and v the crank sha t rotated to lower the 'crossw against the lower casing portion and seal the suction chamber of the pump.

2. A pumping unit comprising a twopart pump casing, one of the parts having a roove formed in the meeting face, a circuir diaphragm, a concentric rib projecting from the face of the diaphragm and of slightly larger cross section than the groove adapted to space the body of the diaphragm away from the face of the pump casing, means for clamping the two parts of the pump casing and the diaphragm t'ogether to compress the rib within the groove, and means for reciprocating the diaphragm. 3. A pumping unit comprising a two-part pump casing.l a hin connection between the two parts of the cas1ng,a circular diaphragm adapted to be engaged between the two parts of the casing, a concentric rib projecting from one face of the diaphragm adap-ted to engage with one of the casing parts, actuating connections for the diaphragm comprising two vertical standards adapted to be aligned with the hinge connection, means for securing the two parts of the pump casing and diaphragm together, and mecha nism adapted to be connected with the standards for reciprocating the diaphragm. 4. A pumping unit comprising a pump base, an upper casing portion, a hinge connection between the base and upper casing portion, a motor and connected mechanism mounted above and supported on the upper casing portion, a circular diaphragm adapted to be received and clamped between the base portion and upper casing portion, actuating connections for the diaphragm including two vertical standards having provision for connection at their upper ends to the connected mechanism whereby the diaphragm is reciprocated by the motor.

5. A pumping unit comprising a base portion, an upper casing portion hinged thereto, a circular diaphragm clamped at its peripheral edge between the base portion andupper casing portion, actuating connections engaging the central portion of the diaphragm and including two vertical standards, a motor supported upon the upper casing portion, a reciprocatory cross-head, connections between the motor and cross-head, detachable connections between the upper ends of the standards and thecross-head adapted to permit the upper casing portion, motor and cross-head to be swung back when disconnected, and means for clamping the base portion and upper casing portion together.

6. A pumping unit comprising a base portion, an upper casing portion, a circular diaphragm engaged at its peripheral edge between the base portion and upper casing portion, a loose' hinge connection between the two portions designed to permit relative Vertical movement of the portions when the upper casing portion is superimposed on the base portion, and means for clamping the base and upper casing together with the diaphragm therebetween.

JAMES W. WICKWIRE. CHARLES E. BURNS. 

